13 Bible Verses about Finance

And He told them a parable [i.e., a brief story to illustrate His teaching], saying, "The land of a certain rich man produced a bumper crop, so he thought to himself, 'What should I do, because I do not have any [more] room to store my crops?' Then he said [to himself], 'This is what I will do. I will tear down my barns and build larger [ones]; then I will store all my grain and [other] goods there [i.e., farm supplies].read more.
And I will say to myself, 'Soul, you have plenty of goods [i.e., grain and supplies] stored up for many years, [so], take it easy; eat, drink and have fun.' But God said to him, 'You fool! Tonight your life will be taken away from you. And [then] who will get the things you have stored up [for yourself]?' This is [the way it will be with] the person who stores up treasures for himself, and [yet] is not rich toward God [i.e., does place enough importance on spiritual things]."

For which one of you who wants to build a [lookout] tower will not first sit down and calculate its cost, to see whether he has enough [money and materiel] to complete it? For if he does not, maybe after he has laid the foundation and [then] is not able to complete [the tower], everyone who sees it will ridicule him, saying, 'This man began to build [a tower] but was not able to finish it.'

"Do not store your valuables [here] on earth, where moths can eat them and where rust can corrode them, and where burglars can break in and steal [them]. But [rather] store up your valuables in heaven [i.e., by investing your life in spiritual things], where neither moths can eat nor rust corrode, nor burglars break in and steal, for wherever [you store] your valuables, that is where your heart [i.e., your real concern] will be also.

Do not owe anything to anyone, except to love one another. For the person who loves others has fulfilled [the requirements of] the law.

Jesus replied, "If you want to be complete, go and sell your possessions and give [the money] to poor people; then become my follower and you will have treasure in heaven."

Now whoever has [a sufficient amount of] life's possessions and [then] observes one of his [Christian] brothers who does not have enough to get by on, but does not feel sorry for him [i.e., enough to help him out], surely a love for God does not continue to live in that person's heart.

But if anyone does not provide for [the needs of] his own [relatives], and especially for his own [immediate] family, he has denied the faith [i.e., the fundamental beliefs of Christianity], and is worse than an unbeliever.

Or, if our gift is encouraging others, we should devote ourselves to encouraging. Or, if our gift is sharing with others, we should do so generously. Or, if our gift is leading others, we should do so diligently. Or, if our gift is showing caring concern for others, we should do it cheerfully.

[Solemnly] urge those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant, nor to place their hope in the uncertainty of [their] wealth, but in God, who generously supplies us with everything to enjoy.

[Urge them] to do what is good, to be rich in [the practice of] good deeds, to be generous and willing to share [with others].

For, loving money is a source of all kinds of evil, [and] some people who crave it have been led astray from the faith, and have stabbed themselves [in the heart] with many sorrows.

Then Jesus said to His disciples, "There was a certain rich man who had a property manager who was reported to be squandering his possessions. So, he called his property manager in and said to him, 'What is this that I hear about you? Turn in a [full] report of [all] your financial transactions, for you are not working for me anymore.' Then the property manager said to himself, What am I going to do since my master is taking away my job? I am not strong enough to dig [i.e., as a farm laborer], and I am too ashamed to beg.read more.
I know what I will do, so when I am fired they [i.e., his master's customers] will welcome me into their homes. So, he called on each one of his master's customers and said to the first one, 'How much do you owe my master?' And he replied, 'Eight hundred gallons of [olive] oil.' And he said to him, 'Take your contract and quickly sit down and write in four hundred [gallons].' Then he said to another [customer], 'And how much do you owe [him]?' And he answered, 'One thousand bushels of wheat.' The property manager said to him, 'Take your contract and write eight hundred [bushels].' So, his master commended the dishonest property manager for his shrewdness. For worldly people are more shrewd in dealing with their own kind than are the people of light [i.e., God's people]. Therefore, I tell you, make friends for yourselves by using worldly wealth, so that when it fails [i.e., when you run out of money] they [i.e., the friends you made with its wise and benevolent use] may welcome you into the eternal [i.e., heavenly] dwelling places. [Note: The idea here seems to be that by your shrewd use of material possessions for the benefit of others, you are actually storing up treasures for yourself in heaven]. "The person who is trustworthy in regard to very small matters, [such as material possessions] is also [likely to be] trustworthy in regard to large matters, [such as spiritual values], and the person who does not do what is right in very small matters is also not [likely] to do what is right in large ones. If therefore you have not been trustworthy in worldly wealth, who will put you in charge of the true [spiritual] riches? And if you have not been trustworthy with what belongs to someone else, who will give you something of your own? No person can serve two masters, for he will either hate the one and love the other, or else he will cling to the one [i.e., as a close friend] and look down on the other. You cannot serve God and material things [at the same time].'"